Dec. 16
GREAT BRITAIN:
On this day: December 16, 1969 - MPs vote to abolish death penalty
On December 16, 1969 MPs voted for the abolition of the death penalty in
Britain, as murderers could be punished by being hanged up until that year.
343 MPs voted in favour of its abolition compared to 185 voting against,
resulting in cheers around Parliament as 'The Murder Act 1965' was passed.
MPs debated for nearly 8 hours over the issue until they finally voted, even
though all 3 leaders of the major political parties (Labour, Conservatives and
Liberal Democrats) argued in favour of its abolition.
The death penalty was originally suspended in 1965, although Duncan Sandys (a
Conservative MP for Streatham) brought a petition to Parliament claiming to
have a million signatures for hanging to remain.
The suspension of the death penalty provided evidence to MPs that it was not a
sufficient deterrent, as between 1957 and 1968 murders numbered between 114 and
154 per year, showing no significant increase due to the suspension.
The Act was introduced to Parliament by Sydney Silverman in the form of a
private member's bill.
The Act still allowed the death penalty to be used for high treason, arson in
royal docklands, piracy with intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm,
espionage and offences under military law although the vote in 1969 signalled
the end of executions in this country.
Britain is one of 103 countries that have completely abolished the death
penalty as well as 30 who are abolitionists in practice.
6 countries have abolished the penalty for ordinary crimes, although 56
countries retain capital punishment.
Figures from last year shows China still execute over 1,000 people every year
and Iran at least 567, showing the death penalty is still very real in many
countries around the world.
(source: mancunianmatters.co.uk)
INDIA:
December 16 gangrape: 2 death row convicts file review plea in SC
2 of the 4 death row convicts in the December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case
today moved the Supreme Court for review of its verdict upholding the capital
punishment awarded to them.
The review petition by convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Kumar Gupta came after
the apex court on December 12 completed the hearing on the review plea filed by
another death row convict Mukesh.
A 23-year-old paramedic student was gangraped on the intervening night of
December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in South Delhi by a gang of 6 persons
and severely assaulted before being thrown out naked. She succumbed to her
injuries on December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.
The review plea, filed through advocate A P Singh for 2 of the convicts,
claimed that death penalty was a premeditated and "cold blooded killing" of a
human being by the state in the name of justice.
It said the investigation in the matter was not only flawed but also unreliable
as many facts of the investigation pertain to recording of the dying
declaration of the victim.
The apex court had on December 12 allowed the counsel to file review petition
for another convict Akshay Singh and listed the matter for hearing on January
22.
The apex court had on May 5 upheld the death penalty to the four convicts -
Mukesh (29), Pawan (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31), saying
the "brutal, barbaric and diabolic nature" of the crime could create a "tsunami
of shock" to destroy a civilised society.
Another accused in the case, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in
Tihar Jail, while a convicted juvenile has come out of the reformation home
after serving a 3- year term.
(source: indiatimes.com)
KENYA:
Death row ruling sets stage for reviews
The Supreme Court pronounced itself on the controversial automatic hanging of
murder convicts, partly bringing an end to a debate that has raged for decades.
The landmark ruling evoked memories of some of Kenya's historic hangings,
including that of Hezekiah Ochuka who was found guilty of plotting the 1982
aborted coup against President Moi. He was hanged in 1987.
The ruling by the highest court in the land declared Section 204 of the Penal
Code unconstitutional. This means that some inmates could, after all, walk to
freedom if the substituted jail term is equivalent to or lesser than the time
they have spent behind bars.
It also means more than 2,500 prisoners awaiting the hangman's noose would have
to be sentenced afresh. The judges ordered that death row prisoners appear
before the High Court for fresh sentencing.
Without prejudice to aggrieved families who may have preferred that the harsh
punishment be meted out on murder convicts, we believe the ruling was long
overdue, given that the death penalty goes against the Bill of Rights.
In many countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, life is
always sacrosanct. We believe countries such as ours should be re-angling their
laws to reflect the very basic tenets of human rights and freedoms. The
Thursday ruling sets the stage for us to continue reviewing our legal
structures with diligence and respect to the local and international law. It
can never be too late to get it right as a republic.
(source: standardmedia.co.ke)
IRAQ----German female teenager faces death penalty
Jihadi bride facing death penalty after becoming Iraq enforcer sobs 'I've
ruined my life'
The teenager, who could face the death penalty in Iraq, added: "I don't know
where I got the dumb idea to join Islamic State."
Linda, 17, was speaking to the German TV programme Tagesschau for the 1st time
since she was found in the rubble of IS stronghold Mosul back in the summer.
German diplomats are hopeful she will be spared the death penalty for joining
Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Charges were laid against her and 3 other German women captured in the Isis
stronghold of Mosul in July.
German officials admitted that Iraq is threatening a "protracted criminal
procedure" in Baghdad.
Schoolgirl Linda fled to Turkey then into Syria last year from her hometown of
Pulsnitz in eastern Germany after being groomed online by a Chechen IS fighter
who she married.
He was killed in the savage fighting for Mosul while she was employed by the
terror group enforcing the strict Islamic dress code on women in the city.
(source: express.co.uk)
_______________________________________________
A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu
DeathPenalty mailing list
DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
